By Megan Fleet

Remember the good ole feature phone days when your little Nokia cell phone or Motorola cell phone would hold a charge for two or even three days? Those battery expectancies have decreased with the adoption of unlocked smartphone handsets.  Not only are these powerful devices armed with incredible amounts of space and storage, but they have zippy quad-core processors to keep your experience as instantly gratifying as possible.

This means we can exchange email and all matter of SMS and MMS communications, play Angry Birds, stream videos, and play or stream music –all on a smartphone. There is plenty of additional functionality to put on the list, but the fact remains: our heightened use and amped up power of these devices means our batteries are lucky to last through the day without a little extra juice.  Discover an extensive selection of the latest lithium technology replacement cell phone and wireless devices batteries.  Ensure your device is powered by brand name batteries for longer operating life.

Consumers are not willing to have a dead device in hand, so peripheral accessory and smartphone manufacturers are coming up with solutions. There are spare batteries for sale as well as desktop chargers, wall chargers and car chargers to have on hand, and even laptop, backpack, and other bags that will act as stylish multi-device charging systems. For an airport rat like myself, these options are a necessary evil to ensure I can get boarding passes, communicate with customers, and just reassure Mom I’ve made it home safe.

But does this have to be a necessity? Samsung doesn’t think so.  So, they have made a resolution of sorts for 2012 to improve battery life where it will last all day. This was a bit of news we were privy to at CES when Samsung’s VP of product innovation, Kevin Packingham, was interviewed. He stated, “when you wake up to when you go to bed, we don’t want you feeling anxiety about your battery life.”

For hyper-usage customers, the additional battery sources and charging accessories will still be a necessity, but Samsung is taking a multi-prong approach where they will manufacture larger batteries, enhance manufacturing processes, and also address how their devices connect to the LTE radio and constantly search for Wi-Fi signals.

By Aldo Panessidi

No doubt, Nokia cell phone Lumia 900 made quite an impression at CES, but another (non-Samsung and non-Apple) smartphone contender made waves as well. That is Sony Ericsson’s Xperia S. Taking the approach of tailoring and optimizing software to the hardware, Sony has taken the familiar and effective Gingerbread OS and made a device that runs incredibly smoothly and also has the look and feel of a great smartphone.

Like the Nokia Lumia handsets, the Sony Xperia S smartphone is made of a single piece of high density polycarbonate which feels substantial and appears chic and modern. It also serves as a great frame to the 720p screen that uses the Sony Bravia Engine and fuses the LCD glass to bring down reflections. Let the latest in trend setting fashionable accessories express your unique style! Discover an extensive array of award-wining design protective cases and skins deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection. Make your mobile devices stand out. Customize your look – how cool can you be?

Another impressive feature is this handset’s camera. For what it lacks in flashy new Android OS updates, a 12 megapixel rear facing camera that can be used with just the press of a side button – even when the phone is turned off! Incredibly zippy, this camera goes from zero-to-shutter in less time than the Galaxy Nexus. And, the photo quality far surpasses the competition as well.

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Unfortunately, Sony Ericsson opted to use the Snapdragon S3 chip instead of the S4. Also disappointing is the lack of LTE on this device (which the manufacturer doled out to its AT&T exclusive Xperia Ion in the US). There are rumors that an LTE Sony phone will come Canada’s way in Q3, but in tech terms that is quite a ways out.

Some silver lining to the LTE regret is Sony will be bundling Video Unlimited support and the Xperia S is Playstation Certified which is great news for gamers who will have access to an ever growing number of PSOne games. This makes a case for purchasing better earpieces and headphones, speakers and additional MicroSD Memory cards to get the most of the device investment.

Canada should see this smartphone hit the market in March or so, but actual release dates and carrier availability are bound to follow, so keep tuned!

By Megan Fleet

Let’s be honest, the latest hero device from the Nokia cell phone line-up, the Lumia 900 wowed spectators at the CES. From the keynote Microsoft address that showed an impressed audience the fruits of its partnership with Nokia and how the device works with Microsoft peripheral devices like the Xbox. The stellar performance of the Nokia Lumia 900 was duly recognized by CNET which named the smartphone as its category winner at the 2012 CES.

The move from Symbian to Windows mobile OS and the added bonus of BlueStack’s technology which will bring Android apps to those customers has sparked excitement and hope into both Nokia and Microsoft that 2012 will bring a 180 degree shift in sales and market share.

What is better news is that the vague announcement that the Nokia Lumia 900 will be available in “the next few months” may be whittled down to a more accurate date if the rumor mill is based in any kind of truth. Even more reliable is that the March 18^th date is being bandied about by Windows gurus Paul Thurrott and Mary Jo Foley. These two “all about Windows” people came together to work on TWiT and discuss March as the release month in the latest Nokia developer newsletter.

Mister Thurrott is apparently not one for vagueness by making it clear that the Nokia Lumia 900 will be released precisely on March 18^th. Hopefully his crystal ball or tea leaves are accurate as anxious customers are bound to seek out this sleek unlocked cell phone as soon as possible.

Surely the smartphone manufacturer will make more accurate announcements that will include date of availability, the cost, and start touting more of the peripheral accessories that will heighten the handset’s popularity and longevity in a fickle, competitive and ever changing mobile tech market.

By Aldo Panessidi

The CES extravaganza comes to an end today.   Many new and upcoming companies vied to showcase breakthrough products and technology this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV.  Like any successful mall, this convention has its premier companies at the show – like Microsoft.  Discover the convenience of online shopping at renowned retailers such as Pure Mobile – your one stop shop for cell phone and mobile device accessories.  PureMobile has an accessory solution for every lifestyle…. This is personal. This is you. This is Shopping Simplified.

In fact, it was in 1995 that Microsoft founder, Bill Gates first spoke at a CES workshop – at the Hilton. Addressing a small workshop of people, Gates told his freshman audience that the consumer electronics revolution would be social. In turn, the CES and Microsoft have had a symbiotic relationship and turned the event into a tech maelstrom quite unlike anything else.  Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

Alas, all good things must come to an end. Or at least to a pause. In Microsoft’s keynote speech which was delivered by the charismatic CEO, Steve Ballmer, wherein he  announced that in the foreseeable future Microsoft would not be attending the CES event. This certainly captured the audience’s attention. Ballmer followed up with an interview with the one-and-only Ryan Seacrest where they began reviewing Microsoft’s 2012 line.  As a well-known radio personality, Ryan Seacrest enjoys accessories that deliver high quality audio.   Experience the mind blowing clarity of XMI Speakers.  Uncompromised sound quality and a revolutionary design accentuating today’s interactive lifestyle.   Our earpieces and headsets combine sophisticated style and precision engineering that deliver brilliant sound for your total listening pleasure.

The Windows Phone 7 and how it flips the focus to the consumer by making it people centric (i.e. the vision behind their smartphone’s mobile platform creation). Showing their strength in not only manufacturing their own device, but also integrating the OS with other phone manufacturers, the audience got a peek at Nokia cell phone line up which includes Lumia 710 and Lumia 800.

This has the whispers of “unlocked cell phone” to their smartphone strategy. The degree that Google Android has employed this has been a factor in its swift global growth. In pairing with other vendors and letting its mobile OS win over customers in conjunction with unlocked devices, they have a greater chance of catching up on some major market shares.

The presentation continued into ASUS tablets and then into the very exciting Xbox / Kinect technology. Interactive, they have touched on another love of consumers: streamlining devices and gaining meaningful, real world technology. The Kinect can be used as an accessory of sorts to the Lumia 900 (or perhaps the other way around?!). The demos were seriously cool and would challenge even the most dedicated Luddite to play and marvel.

By Megan Fleet

Ah, Nokia – you are fast becoming a breath of fresh air! Sure, dumping Symbian for Windows as a mobile OS was a little harsh, but who can’t see the vividly dramatic humor in that? So in this week of consumer tech euphoria, what did Nokia dish out? A little love to its prospective customers in the United States: the first Nokia cell phone, the Lumia 900 4G LTE which was designed specifically with the US in mind. 

Let’s be honest – this is a striking phone. Not only does it have a 4.3 inch Clearblack AMOLED display, the polycarbonate shell (available in cyan and black) is indeed both “bold and beautiful.” As this device was designed with the States in mind and is sporting Nokia’s new mobile OS alliance, Windows, it is no surprise that this model will be exclusive to AT&T when it is released. Unfortunately for customers tied to other network carriers, this smartphone is not to be released unlocked.  Let our  trend setting fashionable cases and skin accessories express your unique style.  Make your mobile devices stand out.  Customize your look – how cool can you be?

The inner workings and benefits of the Windows OS (People Hub, Live tiles etc) will override some customer concerns about the exclusivity with AT&T. Sporting 4G speed, a long lasting 1830 mAh battery, a typical 16GB of storage (and for flexible storage options, supplementary memory cards are an option) and a 8MP camera, this device may well be the preference for AT&T customers considering the “aggressive pricing” we are being advise to anticipate when the Lumia 900 is made available later this year.  Discover an extensive selection of the latest lithium technology replacement cell phone and wireless devices batteries.  Ensure your device is powered by brand name batteries for longer operating life.

I will say that the mobile app to connect to AT&T’s U-Verse as a remote is pretty darn neat. As is the Nokia Drive app to give customers free GPS capabilities. For gamers, rock a great set of headphones or ear pieces and soak in some bragging rights. Nokia’s partnership with EA will bring over 20 of the most popular games to the Windows Phone marketplace. Of course, the Nokia Lumia devices will be the first to benefit from this liaison.  Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

With a great start to 2012, Jeff Bradley, senior vice president of devices for AT&T surmised the year’s goals beautifully: “Together, we are working to supercharge the ecosystem around the Nokia Lumia 900 and the Windows Phone platform.”

By Adhurim Murtezai

The Consumer Electronics Show this week in Vegas is shaping up to be a great soapbox for reintroducing the feature phone king, Nokia, to the global competitive stage of smartphones. Beginning with an agreement with Microsoft last year, the Finnish company is placing its initial bets on the United States market and its partnership with Microsoft.

During Nokia’s press conference at CES, the audience was treated to more news about the Nokia line up of smartphones. Also mentioned is how the Windows mobile OS pairs with Nokia specific apps for a top notch customer experience. To top off the conference, there was a glimpse of the AT&T exclusive partnership in store for US customers (looks as though at least the Lumia 900 will not be unlocked).

As the Lumia 900 will be its flagship 4G LTE phone in the US, this is not surprising. The flip side is that the Lumia 710 launched with T-Mobile last year may now be fair game to be made available as an unlocked device to appease customers who prefer to choose their carrier and their smartphone.  Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

What’s really interesting is the pairing with Microsoft. The Windows Phone has not had an easy time of penetrating markets and neither has the ASUS tablet. But Microsoft isn’t a phone company per se. With a partnership between two companies that excel at what they do and have global brand recognition, 2012 could shape up to truly be Nokia / Microsoft’s year in consumer electronics. And, with the huge market shares of Windows Office there is great potential for business to business sales of smartphones (an audience member did inquire on a rumored RIM acquisition).

Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool!  Discover select accessories such as; stylus & pens, micro SD memory cards, batteries, docking stations, Bluetooth headsets, data cables and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Jumping ahead to the use of the Lumia 900 as a remote for the Kinect technology for Xbox, the streamlining and integration potential of these two companies looks poised to seriously compete in the home, in the car (thank you, Nokia Drive), and in the office. Throw in a solid punch with those peripheral tech devices and accessories that make this kind of technology so much more meaningful in the real world, and we may have a great year of competition and innovation between Nokia / Microsoft, Google Android and Apple!

By Megan Fleet

Aptly named, Samsung’s event at the Consumer Electronics Show is “Pushing Boundaries.” Based on the successes of Samsung the past few years across the electronics industry, their breakout performance on the Android platform in the smartphone market is really no surprise as they really do continue to push the envelope of development. Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories, such as stylus & pens, SD Micro memory cards, batteries, speakers and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

Taking a comprehensive approach, Samsung is looking to truly transform the user’s world with technology that ranges from their SmartTVs to a Smart washing machine. Seriously. The Samsung Galaxy tablets and Samsung Galaxy S II X cell phone will be ever more integrated into home life and interactive with home appliances and televisions.

But as this is the Consumer Electronics Show, what devices are we to be treated with in 2012 that we can hold in our hot little hands? First on the table is the Galaxy Note which is to be initially launched with AT&T and which will likely go toe-to-toe with the Nokia Lumia 900 as the LTE choice. What kind of wait does this means for customers to get unlocked cell phones is unknown, but this Android darling is not one to disappoint.

What will set this smartphone apart is the Super AMOLED HD display and Samsung’s latest stylus technology, the “S Pen”. What is neat about this stylus is that it actually reads pressure. The harder you press on it, the thicker the line will appear. This particular technology has this writer very curious to see what other applications and accessories will dovetail customer needs in the coming months. No doubt this stylus and screen technology will be brought to the Samsung tablet and the Smart TV.

And last on our recap is the Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE. With the popularity of the Galaxy family of smartphones, the company’s tablet offerings have been closely watched by Android fans, and this beauty should not disappoint. It will initially be a Verizon Wireless exclusive with 4G LTE support. When considering the plays made with device manufacturers and carriers in the US market, this is a smart move to reach AT&T customers with the LTE Galaxy Note and then Verizon fans with the 4G LTE Galaxy Tab 7.7.

Discover an extensive array of Android wireless devices innovative protective cases and skin accessories designed to deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection. Make your mobile devices stand out. Customize your look – how cool can you be?

2012 is shaping up to be another stellar year!

By Aldo Panessidi

The world’s greatest tech show – CES 2012 – kicked off on Monday, January 9th… and will run until Friday January 13th.

With more than four decades of success, the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) reaches across global markets, connects the industry and enables CE innovations to grow and thrive. The show is produced by Consumer electronic Association, the preeminent trade association promoting growth in the $186 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. CEA represents more than 2,000 corporate members involved in the design, development, manufacturing, distribution and integration of consumer electronics products. All profits from CES are reinvested into industry services, including technical training and education, industry promotion, engineering standards development, market research and legislative advocacy.

This year’s show is held at the Hilton Casino and Hotel in Las Vegas and will cover more than 1.8 million square feet which is equivalent to 35 American football fields with over 2700 exhibitors and close to 200,000 attendees from across the globe.

Most of the leading smartphone and wireless mobile device (such as tablets) manufacturers and vendors will be unveiling their latest product and technology. In the same breath, these manufacturers will be showcasing their latest in innovative protection solutions… … stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes. Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

The following capture the most important CES smartphone and wireless mobile device news and product video overview:

	LTE-packing Nokia Lumia 900 is finally official, exclusive to AT&T HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE]  Nokia Lumia 900 – specs • hands-on
	New Samsung Series 9 ultrabook comes in 13.3″ and 15″ versions, the small one weighs just 1.16kg Samsung and AT&T unveil Note, Skyrocket HD and Exhilarate Android-powered webcam-like device, the Samsung inTouch, adds Smart TV magic to your boring HDTV Sprint unveils Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE Verizon debuts Galaxy Tab LTE   Verizon Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 LTE- specs • hands-on • second hands-on AT&T Galaxy Note LTE – specs • hands-on • second hands-on Samsung Skyrocket HD – specs Samsung Exhilarate – specs Samsung Galaxy Nexus LTE – specs
	Sony Ericsson LiveView successor spotted at CES, announcement seems imminent The Sony Xperia ion coming to AT&T in Q2 2012 Sony announces Xperia S with a 12MP camera and HD screen  Sony Xperia ion – specs • hands-on Sony Xperia S – specs • hands-on
	LG brings a ton of new HDTV stuff to CES, 3D is everywhere, and there’s a motion-controlled remote with voice input LG Spectrum goes official, joins the Verizon LTE gang on Jan 19 Sprint unveils LG Viper  LG Viper- specs LG Spectrum – specs • hands-on
	HTC Titan II vs. Nokia Lumia 900 vs. Samsung Focus S – the ultimate WP showdown [TABLE] LTE HTC Titan II with 16 MP camera revealed, heads for AT&T HTC Titan II - specs • hands-on • camera samples
	Acer announces Aspire S5 and Aspire Timeline Ultra Ultrabooks, claims the former to be the world’s thinnest Acer showcases the new Iconia Tab A700, comes with a quad-core processor and a full HD display
	Verizon announces several Droid RAZRs  Motorola RAZR MAXX – specs • hands-on Motorola Droid 4 - specs • hands-on
	Lenovo continues CES invasion with IdeaCentre B-series all-in-ones and refreshed desktops Lenovo announces IdeaPad S200 and IdeaPad S206 netbooks, will launch in June Lenovo IdeaPad U310 and U410 new Ultrabook laptops get under the spotlight Lenovo unveils Ideapad S2, the S2 smartphone and K91 TV
	Huawei Ascend P1 and Ascend P1 S droid beasts announced  Huawei Ascend P1 – specs • hands-on Huawei Ascend P1 S – specs • hands-on
Misc	Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich update starts rolling out for the ASUS Transformer Prime ASUS and NVidia CEOs show a 7-inch Tegra 3-powered tablet with ICS for $249 Gigabyte keeps Atom dream alive with Cedar Trail powered T1006M convertibe netbook and tablet, Windows 7 on board In case of emergency: The new SpareOne mobile phone promises to hold its charge for up to 15 years Fujitsu showcases quad-core Tegra 3 smartphone at CES Parrot shows AR.Drone 2.0 at CES – now with 720p video recording, easy sharing and sturdier hardware OCZ Lightfoot SSD boasts Thunderbolt connectivity, speeds beyond belief Canon PowerShot G1 X is a 14MP compact with a DSLR-sized 4:3 image sensor • Canon G1 X hands-on Fujifilm announced rangefinder-style, mirrorless X-Pro1 camera, to cost $1,700 at launch SanDisk unveils the world’s fastest SDXC card, promises write speeds of up to 45MB/sToshiba showcase three mysterious tablets at CES and tell us nothing about them Razer reveals Project Fiona, a tablet with controllers attached to it running on a Core i7 and Windows 8

Many thanks to GSM Arena for the above references and links.

By  Aldo Panessidi

A new report from industry luminary ABI Research indicates that more than 50% of all unlocked cell phones will be capable of running on 4G or 3G data networks.  Jake Saunders, VP of Forecasting for ABI Research suggests that . “As the festive cheer of the holiday season dies away, the mood among handset vendors remains quietly confident regarding 2012.   The outlook will yield growth in the order of 8%, netting 1.67 billion handsets shipped worldwide by the end of 2012. Particularly notable is for the first time, 3G and 4G handset shipments will capture more than 50% of total handsets shipped.”  The consumer’s appetite for  high end mobile devices will also drive the after sales cell phone and tablet accessories market.

Leaving your valuable mobile devices unprotected is risky!  Discover the latest innovative protection solutions… stylish top brand bags, sleeves and cases specifically designed to protect your devices from scratches and blemishes.  Tough on the outside, sweet on the inside these brand name protection accessories combine complete device coverage with sleek artistic expression.

In an earlier report ABI Research identified the worldwide after-market wireless devices accessories sales increasing to more than $50 Billion by 2015.  Key accessory market indicators were identified as:

Protective Solutions – Bags, Sleeves, Cases and Screen Protectors – $1.2 billion

Hands Free Solution – BlueTooth Headsets and BlueTotth Car Kits – $920 million

Power Solutions – Desktop Chargers, Car Chargers, Wall Chargers, Batteries – $766 million

Memory Solutions – Micro SD Cards and Data Cables – $529 million

Personalization Solutions – Cases & Skins – $520 million

Audio Solutions – Speakers, Earpieces & Headsets – $308 million

In the second half of 2011, top tier mobile device vendors unleashed marketing promotions targeting the upward mobile market audience in emerging smartphone and table markets.   Samsung, used clever ads downgrading Apple users while extolling the benefits of the Galaxy S II X phones and Galaxy Tablet lines of business to make substantial inroads  into these market spaces. Apple is expanding sales channels in emerging markets, with greater success in China than it’s having in India, but is also targeting South American markets such as Brazil. HTC is gaining traction in China, but developed markets such as North America and Europe continue to be the mainstay of its “ship into” markets. RIM, despite its weakness in apps-capable smartphone markets, continues to do well in messaging-centric emerging markets such as Indonesia. Nokia hopes to benefit from Windows Phone 7 Lumia series launches in India (Dec-2011) and China (in 1Q-2012).

By Aldo Panessidi

Despite its performance to date in the mobile tech, Microsoft, who currently owns 2% of the market share, is still managing to effectively keep itself in the public eye with newsworthy and surprising actions. Case and point is the Microsoft sanctioned and collaborated jailbroken Windows Phone 7.   Discover an extensive array of Android wireless devices innovative protective cases and skin accessories designed to  deliver modern style, stunning design and smart protection.  Make your mobile devices stand out.  Customize your look – how cool can you be?

Announced in November of 2011 by the Chevron WP7 team that had initially brought the technology and work-around to Microsoft, the mobile world was set back on its heels. Considering the reaction of Research In Motion after the Blackberry PlayBook tablet, jailbreak, this writer is inclined to say Microsoft marketed itself well in taking the high road.

What did this sanctioned jailbreak really mean though? Between Chevron WP7 and Microsoft they created a device that would empower users to actively break into their Windows Phone OS and install their « homebrew applications » while bypassing the huge Marketplace availability  of side loaded apps. This is indicative of an ever growing community of consumers that leverage the power of unlocked cell phones to choose their preferred service providers and break away from long term service contracts… while customizing their phones with both apps and cell phone accessories of their choice.

For the more tech savvy crowd out there, the ability the customize a smartphone is a huge selling point that could make Microsoft more competitive in this market. In fact, the Chevron WP7 team is sold out! Clearly demand has been higher than expected and the initial 10,000 unlocked tokens went fast. According to Rafael Rivera, a spokesperson, those tokens were sold at $9 a piece with the revenue to be split between Microsoft and the Chevron WP7 team.   Enhance your mobility and turn your device into a power tool! Discover select accessories, such as stylus & pens, SD Micro memory cards, batteries, speakers and glider gloves all specifically designed to make your devices functionally efficient and performance rich.

So what is next? Why not simply make additional tokens available with another agreement with Microsoft and continue to increase sales and promote the Windows Phone? Well, it looks as though the team does not want to press its luck with the Goliath technology company. In the interim, WP7 customers can invest in accessorizing their device with peripheral technologies (speaker docks, hands-free headsets, and the myriad of other fun gadgets available). For those not satisfied with acquisition, there are other jailbreak methods available to Samsung Galaxy cell phones or HTC Jetstream tablets, but these are not manufacturer endorsed. But, customers may have an easier time finding these same devices unlocked to exercise some of their consumer power.